New Kit, New Confidence: NZCT Helps Special Olympics Porirua Shine!

New Zealand Community Trust (NZCT) has awarded $6,420 to Special Olympics Porirua for the purchase of new playing uniforms, ensuring the athletes can represent their region with pride.

Helen Brookes-Smith, Events Manager for Special Olympics Porirua, says: "Held every four years, this year our National Summer Games are in Christchurch and the team is really stoked about looking smart in their new uniforms. The opportunity to travel to regional and national events is not only highly motivational for our athletes from a competitive point-of-view but also provides one of the few opportunities they have to participate in a team environment."

The rapid growth of the club and the addition of new sporting codes meant they no longer had enough competition uniforms to dress all their athletes. Brookes-Smith says “Many of them live in community homes, don’t have families to provide support for them, and are on a benefit. They have limited financial resources and depend entirely on volunteer support and funding from local communities, sponsorship, grants, and other fundraising activities. It’s been over ten years since we purchased new uniforms, and we had a large number who didn’t have one."

The new uniforms will provide more than just a fresh look: "It’s very important for our athletes to have a sense of pride when representing the region. Having new kit will not only help for identification purposes when coaches have to supervise a large number of special needs people but will also greatly increase our athletes’ self-confidence by making them feel like valued members of a team and promoting a stronger sense of team spirit."

Special Olympics Porirua athletes are already excited about their new uniforms, “It’s going to be really exciting playing in new uniforms, I’m happy that we will be able to help pick what our new uniform looks like, we’re going to look really good!”

NZCT’s GM for Grants, Marketing and Communications, Ben Hodges adds “Special Olympic athletes’ commitment and sportsmanship is exemplary, and they deserve uniforms befitting their status as sporting role models. NZCT is grateful for our fundraising partnership with our local hospitality venues The Mariner and the Sandbar that made this grant possible.